NaturalBranch

Chaillu Massif

2005-03-30T11:14:00.000-08:00

Mountain range in south-central Gabon, rising to more than 3,300 feet (1,000 m) between the Ngounié and the Ogooué rivers; it forms the country's main watershed. The range contains Mount Milondo (3,346 feet [1,020 m]), the highest peak in Gabon, 53 miles (85 km) southwest of Koula-Moutou. Other high points in the range are Mount Iboundji (3,215 feet [980 m]) and Mount Mimongo (2,822 feet [860 m]). The granite massif is named for the explorer

Asparagus

2005-03-29T19:28:00.000-08:00

Asparagus may be erect or climbing, and most of the species are more

Arabia, History Of, The gulf states

2005-03-29T04:36:00.000-08:00

In 1835 the Qawasim coastal tribes of the Persian Gulf, earlier conquered and inspired by the Wahhabis, were induced to bind themselves by a maritime truce to end hostilities with the British by sea, and the truce was made permanent in 1853. In Oman, Sultan ibn Ahmad, revolting against his uncle the imam in 1793, gained mastery of the coastal towns. The British made Omani Zanzibar, in East Africa,

Futures

2005-03-28T13:16:00.000-08:00

Commercial contract calling for the purchase or sale of specified quantities of a commodity at specified future dates. The origin of futures contracts was in trade in agricultural commodities, and the term commodity is used to define the underlying asset even though the contract is frequently completely divorced from the product. It therefore differs from

Chandos, Sir John

2005-03-28T00:52:00.000-08:00

Chandos was a lifelong follower and companion of Edward the Black Prince, fighting under him at Crécy (1346), Poitiers (1356), and Nájera (1367). Given the lands of the Viscount de Saint-Sauveur in the Cotentin, Chandos was made constable of Guyenne in 1362 and was seneschal of Poitou

Annelid, Digestive system

2005-03-27T21:42:00.000-08:00

The polychaete digestive system is generally a straight tube; a mouth leads into an esophagus, which is followed by the intestine and the anus. Some free-moving forms have a proboscis that can be thrust forward by being turned inside out—that is, the proboscis is eversible. In oligochaetes such as the earthworm, the mouth opens into a muscular pharynx, which opens to

Family

2005-03-26T10:41:00.000-08:00

A group of persons united by the ties of marriage, blood, or adoption, constituting a single household and interacting with each other in their respective social positions, usually those of spouses, parents, children, and siblings. The family group should be distinguished from a household, which may include boarders and roomers sharing a common residence. It should

Iridium

2005-03-25T11:10:00.000-08:00

(Ir), chemical element, one of the platinum metals of Group VIII of the periodic table. It is very dense and rare and is used in platinum alloys. A precious, silver-white metal, iridium is hard and brittle, but it becomes ductile and can be worked at a white heat, from 1,200° to 1,500° C (2,200° to 2,700° F). It is one of the densest terrestrial substances. In the massive state the metal is practically insoluble

Yakima River

2005-03-25T08:18:00.000-08:00

River, south-central Washington, U.S., rising in the Cascade Range, near Snoqualmie Pass. It flows southeastward about 200 miles (320 km) past Ellensburg and Yakima to join the Columbia River near Kennewick in Benton county. The Yakima and its tributaries irrigate about 460,000 acres (190,000 hectares) in the river valley. The Keechelus Dam, near the river's source, is a major unit of the U.S. Bureau

Legal Profession, Regulation by statutes and bar associations

2005-03-24T03:30:00.000-08:00

Since about 1800 most countries have brought their legal professions under systems of statutory control with three main principles: admission to practice automatically and compulsorily makes the lawyer a member of an appropriate professional association; those associations are given substantial powers in relation to legal education, admission to practice,

Solfeggio

2005-03-23T14:18:00.000-08:00

French Solfège, vocal exercises sung to the solmization syllables (do, re, mi, etc.) and, by extension, vocalizes, or exercises sung to a single vowel, often florid and difficult to master. Solfeggio collections survive from the 17th century onward, with examples by leading composers of 18th-century opera, such as Nicola Porpora (also a singer and famed singing teacher) and Alessandro Scarlatti

Arts, Central Asian, Ghaznavids and Ghurids

2005-03-23T05:02:00.000-08:00

Alp Tigin, a slave of Turkic origin at the Samanid court, escaped in AD 962 to Kabul, where he rapidly gained control of the town. He transferred his headquarters to Ghazna in central Afghanistan and established his dynasty there. Few Ghaznavid works of art have survived, but the admirably proportioned and decorated mortuary towers at Ghazna are architectural achievements

Jhering, Rudolf Von

2005-03-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

Jhering taught Roman

Trajan's Bridge

2005-03-21T10:20:00.000-08:00

First bridge spanning the Danube River, built east of the Iron Gate Rapids at Turnu Severin by the Roman emperor Trajan (reigned AD 98–117) to guarantee the supply line of his legions in conquered Dacia. The engineer, probably Trajan's lieutenant, Apollodorus of Damascus, used timber arches mounted on masonry piers to span the 0.5-mile- (800-metre-) wide river. A century and a half later the

Christian Ix

2005-03-21T02:52:00.000-08:00

Christian was the son of Duke William of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Beck (and after 1825 Duke of Glücksburg). He entered the Danish army in 1835, serving in the Schleswig

Akosombo Dam

2005-03-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

Rock-fill dam on the Volta River, near Akosombo, Ghana, completed in 1965 as part of the Volta River Project. Its construction was jointly financed by the government of Ghana, the World Bank, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The dam rises 440 feet (134 m) above ground level and has a crest 2,201 feet (671 m) wide and a volume of 10,451,000 cubic yards (7,991,000 cubic m). The dam impounds Lake Volta; this huge reservoir

Resnais, Alain

2005-03-19T19:00:00.000-08:00

Resnais was the son of a well-to-do pharmacist. A victim of chronic asthma, he spent a solitary childhood

Hay

2005-03-19T16:32:00.000-08:00

Town, south-central New South Wales, Australia, on the Murrumbidgee River. The settlement originated in 1840 as a coach station known as Lang's Crossing Place. Surveyed in 1858, it became a town the following year and was named after John Hay, a district parliamentary representative. Developed as a river port, it was proclaimed a municipality in 1872 and a shire in 1965. Situated at the junction

Latin-american Literature, Realism and naturalism

2005-03-19T04:15:00.000-08:00

Romantic interest in the picturesque and unusual led writers to discover a regional way of life, and shortly after midcentury the cuadro de costumbres, or sketch of contemporary customs, developed into a realistic novel of manners, often with an urban setting. Many of these novels are the expression of an ideal national history connected to political independence.

Gheorghiu-dej, Gheorghe

2005-03-18T20:32:00.000-08:00

Having become a revolutionary after World War I, Gheorghiu-Dej joined the then-outlawed Romanian Communist Party in 1930 and was sentenced to 12 years' hard labour for his role in the Grivita railwaymen's strike of 1933. Escaping prison in August

Havana, The city site

2005-03-18T14:46:00.000-08:00

The low hills on which the city lies rise gently from the

Abaca

2005-03-17T04:28:00.000-08:00

The plant, native to the Philippines

Le Poulain, Jean

2005-03-16T18:39:00.000-08:00

Le Poulain spent his childhood in Indochina, where his father was a colonial administrator, and returned to France at the age of 19. He studied in small conservatories before being admitted to the

Nervous System Disease, Demyelinating disease

2005-03-16T16:29:00.000-08:00

Demyelination frequently affects the cerebellum and its connections. The primary signs of cerebellar disease are nystagmus, ataxia, and scanning speech. (See Unlocalized or multifocal disorders: Demyelinating diseases.)

Koror

2005-03-16T11:17:00.000-08:00

Formerly Corrora one of the Caroline Islands, western Pacific; it lies just southwest of Babelthuap island. Koror city serves as the provisional capital of Palau while a new capital is being constructed at Melekeok in eastern Babelthuap. Partly uplifted coral-limestone and partly volcanic in origin, Koror has a land area of 3 square miles (8 square km) and rises to 459 feet (140 metres). A territorial

Amboseli National Park

2005-03-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

Formerly Masai Amboseli Game Reserve, national park, southern Kenya, East Africa. Amboseli was originally established as a game reserve in 1948 and covered 1,259 sq mi (3,261 sq km), northwest of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Within it were distinguished seven habitats: open plains, acacia woodland, lava-strewn thorn-bush country, swamp, marshland, the Amboseli lake bed, and the slopes of Oldoinyo Orok. The reserve was also occupied

Felsic Rock

2005-03-14T10:28:00.000-08:00

Igneous rock dominated by the light-coloured, silicon- and aluminum-rich minerals feldspar and quartz (qq.v.). The presence of these minerals gives felsic rock its characteristic light gray colour. The silica (SiO2) content of felsic rock is greater than about 60 percent by weight. Slight colour variations result from the presence of small amounts of mafic minerals (i.e., dark

Orthodox Jewish Congregations Of America, Union Of

2005-03-13T19:41:00.000-08:00

The union was established in New York City in 1898 to foster Orthodox beliefs and practices. To pursue its goals, the union sponsors numerous elementary and secondary day schools oriented toward Orthodoxy

Hadi, Al-

2005-03-13T16:28:00.000-08:00

Al-Hadi's persecution of the 'Alids, representatives of the Shi'ite sect of Islam, precipitated revolts in Medina, Egypt, and Iraq, all of which were put down brutally. Throughout his short reign, he struggled with the question of succession, attempting to annul the rights of his brother, Harun ar-Rashid, who was later to become one of the

Amphibole

2005-03-13T15:08:00.000-08:00

Any of a group of common rock-forming silicate minerals.

Wackenroder, Wilhelm Heinrich

2005-03-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

Wackenroder was the son of a senior civil servant whose expectations that he pursue a successful worldly career were incompatible with the boy's natural sympathies and caused him severe conflict

Dyckia

2005-03-12T23:38:00.000-08:00

Genus of usually stemless plants of the pineapple family (Bromeliaceae), consisting of about 80 South American species. These plants' long, stiff leaves, which grow in dense rosettes, are spiny-edged, sharp-tipped, and often fleshy. The small flowers usually are yellow or orange. Two species, D. rariflora and D. sulphurea (D. brevifolia), are commonly cultivated indoors as decorative

Schism

2005-03-12T10:09:00.000-08:00

In the early church, “schism” was used to describe those groups that broke with the church and established rival churches. The term originally referred to those divisions that were caused by disagreement over something other than basic doctrine. Thus, the schismatic group was not necessarily heretical. Eventually,

I-pin

2005-03-12T05:09:00.000-08:00

Pinyin Yibin, city in southern Szechwan sheng (province), China. It is situated at the junction of the Min and the Yangtze rivers at the southwestern corner of the Szechwan Basin. Above I-pin the Yangtze is called the Chin-sha River. Junk traffic can reach Le-shan, to the north on the Min, and P'ing-shan, to the south on the Chin-sha, and there is heavy river traffic with Ch'ung-ch'ing (Chungking)

Augustus

2005-03-10T23:42:00.000-08:00

Elector of Saxony and leader of Protestant Germany who, by reconciling his fellow Lutherans with the Roman Catholic Habsburg Holy Roman emperors, helped bring the initial belligerency of the Reformation in Germany to an end. Under his administration Saxony enjoyed economic and commercial prosperity at a time when

Round, Henry Joseph

2005-03-10T14:00:00.000-08:00

Round worked with Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company, Ltd., from 1902 to 1914, first in the United States, where he improved the tuning components of radio receivers and built early radio direction

Pacific Mountain System, Resource exploitation

2005-03-09T22:15:00.000-08:00

The abundant precipitation and deep, weathered soils of the coastal ranges from the Queen Charlotte Islands through the Klamath Mountains and into northern California produce the largest softwood lumber trees in the world. The completion of railroads into the region in the 1880s, giving it access to other parts of the country, made possible the large-scale commercial

Skate

2005-03-09T18:58:00.000-08:00

First production-model nuclear-powered attack submarine of the U.S. Navy. Launched and commissioned in 1957, it was similar to the first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus, but smaller, displacing only 2,360 tons. Like the Nautilus, the Skate and the three other boats in its class incorporated nuclear propulsion into a streamlined “Guppy”-style hull that had been adapted

Ansett Transport Industries Limited

2005-03-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

Ansett (Sir Reginald since 1969) began in 1931 with a motorcar passenger service in the Western District of the state of Victoria. In 1936 he founded the airline company for service between Melbourne and Hamilton. After World War II the company began new interstate

Topeka

2005-03-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

The name Topeka is of uncertain Indian origin; one interpretation is “smoky hill,” and another is “a good place to dig potatoes.” The present site was chosen in 1854 by a group of antislavery colonists from Lawrence, led by Charles Robinson, a resident agent of

Aethelred I

2005-03-07T08:46:00.000-08:00

By his father's will he should have succeeded to Wessex on the death of his eldest brother Aethelbald (d. 860). He seems, however, to have stood aside in favour of his brother Aethelberht, king of Kent, to whose joint kingdoms he succeeded in 865 or 866. Aethelred's reign was one long struggle against the Danes. In the year of his

Giurgiu

2005-03-07T02:36:00.000-08:00

Judet (county), southeastern Romania, occupying an area of 1,471 square miles (3,810 square km) bounded on the south by the Danube River and Bulgaria. The county, consisting mostly of lowlands, was formed in 1981 from a portion of Ilfov district. Besides the eastward-flowing Danube, the county is also drained southward by the Arges and Dimobovita rivers. At the junction of the Câlnistea and

Baha' Al-din

2005-03-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

In July 1188, after making the pilgrimage to Mecca, Baha' al-Din entered the service of Saladin, who was waging war against the Christians in Palestine. Baha' al-Din sought Saladin's favour by urging him to the vigorous prosecution

Wolverine

2005-03-05T09:16:00.000-08:00

Also called Glutton, Carcajou, or Skunk Bear (species Gulo gulo, or sometimes G. luscus in North America), member of the weasel family (Mustelidae) that lives in cold northern latitudes, especially in timbered areas, around the world. It resembles a small, squat, broad bear 65–90 cm (26–36 inches) long, excluding the bushy, 13–26-centimetre tail; shoulder height is 36–45 cm, and weight is 9–30 kg (20–66 pounds). The legs are short, somewhat bowed; the

Alerce

2005-03-05T08:36:00.000-08:00

Also called Patagonian Cypress (species Fitzroya cupressoides), coniferous tree that is the only species of the genus Fitzroya, of the cypress family (Cupressaceae), native to southern Chile and southern Argentina. In the wild it grows to become one of the oldest and largest trees in the world. The alerce is thought to be a southern relative of the giant sequoia of North America. The oldest known alerce

Han-yang

2005-03-05T01:51:00.000-08:00

Also called Ts'ai-tien , Pinyin Hanyang , or Caidian urban area and industrial city in Hupeh Province (sheng), central China. Located on the right bank of the Han Shui (river) at its confluence with the Yangtze, opposite Han-k'ou, it is the westernmost of the three cities of the Wu-han (q.v.) conurbation (Han-k'ou, Han-yang, Wu-ch'ang). Han-yang was founded under the Sui dynasty (AD 581–618) but was of little importance until modern times. In the early

Nat

2005-03-04T22:24:00.000-08:00

In Burmese folk religion, any of a group of spirits that are the objects of an extensive, probably pre-Buddhist cult; in Thailand a similar spirit is called phi. Most important of the nats are a group collectively called the “thirty-seven,” made up of spirits of human beings who have died violent deaths. They are capable of protecting the believer when kept properly propitiated

Edward V

2005-03-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

The eldest surviving son of King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth (Woodville), Edward was born at Westminster Abbey while his father, momentarily deposed, was in exile in Holland. In June 1471, after Edward IV had crushed his foes and reclaimed his crown, young Edward was made

Elhuyar (y De Suvisa), Fausto (d')

2005-03-04T00:36:00.000-08:00

Spanish chemist and mineralogist who in partnership with his brother Juan José was the first to isolate tungsten, or wolfram (1783), though not the first to recognize its elemental nature. After teaching at Vergara, in Spain (1781–85), Fausto accompanied his brother to several European colleges, including the Freiberg (Saxony) School of Mining and the

Leaf Beetle

2005-03-02T13:28:00.000-08:00

Any member of the 25,000 species of leaf-feeding insects of the family Chrysomelidae (order Coleoptera). Leaf beetles occur throughout the world but are concentrated in the tropics. They are oval and short-legged and tend to be less than 12 mm (0.5 inch) long; the antennae are about half the body length. Many are important pests. The family is divided into numerous subfamilies.

Scandinavian Literature, Major poets

2005-03-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the 20th century, poetry had lyricists in Thorsteinn Erlingsson, whose early delicacy later developed into a more powerful note in “Aldaslagur” (1911; “Sound of the Ages”) and in an incomplete epic, “Eidurinn” (1913; “The Oath”); in Einar Benediktsson, who wrote in an ornate style sometimes capable of greatness, as “Í dísarhöll” (“In the Hall of the Muses”) shows; and in Stephan

Deborah

2005-03-01T17:18:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Debbora, prophet and heroine in the Old Testament (Judg. 4 and 5), who inspired the Israelites to a mighty victory over their Canaanite oppressors (the people who lived in the Promised Land, later Palestine, that Moses spoke of before its conquest by the Israelites); the “Song of Deborah” (Judg. 5), putatively composed by her, is perhaps the oldest section of the Bible and is of great importance

Mobutu Sese Seko

2005-02-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

Mobutu was educated in missionary schools and began his career in 1949 in the Belgian Congolese army, the Force Publique, rising from a clerk

Mubi

2005-02-28T11:16:00.000-08:00

Probably founded in the late 18th century by the Fulani people, Mubi remained under the jurisdiction of the sultanate of Mandara until conquered in the Fulani jihad

Sabah

2005-02-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

Region of East Malaysia, forming the northern part of the great island of Borneo, and bordered by Sarawak (southwest) and Kalimantan, or Indonesian Borneo (south). Sabah has an 800–900-mile- (1,290–1,450-kilometre-) long, heavily indented coastline that is washed by the South China, Sulu, and Celebes seas. It was known as North Borneo during the British colonial period (until 1963). Its 28,425-square-mile (73,620-square-kilometre)

Chandler, Norman

2005-02-27T06:53:00.000-08:00

Chandler was the son of Harry Chandler, who owned the Los Angeles Times. After attending Stanford University, Norman joined the Times in 1922 as secretary

Caucasian Languages, Languages of the group

2005-02-26T16:24:00.000-08:00

The Kartvelian (South Caucasian or Iberian) language family comprises Georgian, Mingrelian (Megrelian), Laz (or Chan), and Svan. The speakers of these languages constitute the Georgian nation and numbered 4.2 million in the mid-1990s.

Raín, Alois

2005-02-25T18:05:00.000-08:00

A leader of the Czech revolutionary organization Omladina, Rašín was arrested and imprisoned for conspiring against the Austrian authorities after nationalistic rioting

Ila

2005-02-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

The Ila combine agriculture with animal husbandry. Men hunt, fish, and clear land, while women gather foods from the countryside and are responsible for most of the

Gabon, Health and welfare

2005-02-25T08:10:00.000-08:00

Health facilities remain inadequate, particularly outside the Libreville area, despite improvements during the 1970s and '80s. The government provides nearly all health care services. The internationally known hospital operated by Albert Schweitzer at Lambaréné from 1924 to 1965 receives government assistance. Malaria, sleeping sickness, tuberculosis, syphilis, and other

Race, General histories

2005-02-24T06:48:00.000-08:00

Histories dealing with the origin of the concept of race include Ivan Hannaford, Race: The History of an Idea in the West (1996); and Audrey Smedley, Race in North America: Origin and Evolution of a Worldview, 2nd ed. (1999).

Augustus, Caesar

2005-02-24T00:35:00.000-08:00

The death in 12 BC of Lepidus enabled Augustus finally to succeed him as the official head of the Roman religion, the chief priest (pontifex maximus). In the same year, Agrippa, too, died. Augustus compelled his widow, Julia, to marry Tiberius against both their wishes. During the next three years, however, Tiberius was away in the field, reducing Pannonia (Yugoslavia and Hungary)

Arts, Central Asian, Bactria

2005-02-23T09:59:00.000-08:00

The most Hellenized of these states in western Turkistan and Afghanistan was Bactria. Its fine coinage, for example, was distinctly Hellenistic in style, and Bactrian silversmiths were often influenced as much by Roman as Greek Hellenistic metalwork. Alexander the Great annexed Kabul to Bactria and founded Alexandria-Kapisu, a city astride the Indian caravan

Xiaozhuan

2005-02-23T07:24:00.000-08:00

Wade-Giles romanization hsiao-chuan in Chinese calligraphy, a standardized and simplified form of the earlier dazhuan script, in which all lines are of even thickness and curves and circles are relatively predominant. Its development during the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC) is traditionally attributed to Li Si, a minister of that dynasty. The Qin dynasty created the first Chinese empire, under which customs, laws, and

Animal Learning

2005-02-22T10:38:00.000-08:00

That animals can learn seems to go without saying. The cat that runs to its food dish when it hears the sound of the cupboard opening; the rat that solves a maze in the laboratory; the bird that acquires the song of its species—these

Blackfish

2005-02-22T09:04:00.000-08:00

Name given to various dark-coloured fishes, including the tautog (see wrasse), bowfin, Alaska blackfish (qq.v.), and black sea bass (see sea bass). Also known as blackfish are the pilot whale (q.v.), a mammal; Orthodon microlepidotus, a California minnow; the black ruff (Centrolophus niger), a European deep-sea rudderfish; and several Australian food fishes.

Australia, Flag Of

2005-02-22T05:42:00.000-08:00

Thought was given to an all-Australian flag long before confederation was achieved on January 1, 1901. For example, in 1823 a National Colonial Flag displayed four white eight-pointed stars on a red cross on a white field with the Union Jack. From 1831 until as late as the 1920s there was a somewhat similar design known as the Australian Federation Flag, with a blue cross and five white stars.

T'ien-chi

2005-02-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

Ascending the throne at the age of 15, T'ien-chi preferred carpentry to governmental affairs. He handed the powers of government to Wei, a former butler in the empress dowager's service and a friend of the young

Amstetten

2005-02-20T08:07:00.000-08:00

Town, Niederösterreich Bundesland (federal state), northeastern Austria. It is situated near the Ybbs River, northeast of Steyr. Recorded in 996 as a possession of the bishops of Passau, it was fortified and granted market rights when it passed to the Habsburgs in 1276. It achieved town status in 1897. The 14th-century parish church in the town incorporates an earlier Romanesque basilica.

Topaz

2005-02-19T09:52:00.000-08:00

Topaz is an aluminum silicate containing fluorine and has a chemical formula of Al2(F,OH)2SiO4. It is formed

Excretion, The contractile vacuoles of protozoans

2005-02-19T00:17:00.000-08:00

Some protozoan animals possess an organelle having the form of an internal sac, or vacuole, which enlarges by the accumulation of a clear fluid and then discharges its contents to the exterior. The cycle of filling and emptying may be repeated as frequently as every half minute. The chief role of the contractile vacuole appears to be in osmotic regulation, not in nitrogen

Tyrone

2005-02-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

Former (until 1973) county, Northern Ireland. It was bounded by the former counties of Londonderry (north) and Fermanagh and Monaghan (south), and by former County Armagh and Lough (lake) Neagh (east). It had an area of 1,260 square miles (3,263 square km). In the north, the Sperrin Mountains rise to 2,224 feet (678 m), the highest peaks being Sawel and Mullaghcloga. To the southwest, Bessy Bell (1,387 feet) and Mary Gray

Alicante

2005-02-17T21:54:00.000-08:00

Port city, capital of Alicante provincia, in Valencia comunidad autónoma (“autonomous community”), southeastern Spain. It is located on Alicante Bay of the Mediterranean Sea. Founded as Akra Leuke (“White Summit”) by Phocaean Greeks (from the west coast of Asia Minor) in 325 BC, the city was captured in 201 BC by the Romans, who called it Lucentum. Under Moorish domination, which lasted from

Palatka

2005-02-17T13:45:00.000-08:00

City, seat (1849) of Putnam county, northeastern Florida, U.S., on the broad St. Johns River, about 50 miles (80 km) south of Jacksonville. Beginning in the 17th century the area was used for cattle ranching, and the city site was a crossing point of the river. James Marver established a trading post (c. 1821) on the site of a Seminole village. The city's name came from Pilatka, a Seminole term meaning

Pieris

2005-02-17T00:57:00.000-08:00

The leaves are usually alternate, broad, leathery, lance-shaped, and toothed. The flowers, which are cylindrical or urn-shaped, have a five-lobed calyx (the sepals, collectively) and grow in a terminal or

La Follette, Robert M(arion)

2005-02-16T13:55:00.000-08:00

U.S. leader of the Progressive Movement, who as governor of Wisconsin (1901–06) and U.S. senator (1906–25) was noted for his support of reform legislation. He was the unsuccessful presidential candidate of the League for Progressive Political Action (i.e., the Progressive party) in 1924, winning almost 5,000,000 votes, or about one-sixth of the total cast.

Biblical Literature, The Deuteronomic theology of history

2005-02-16T05:37:00.000-08:00

The Deuteronomic “theology of history” shows through very clearly in Judges: unless the people of the Covenant remain faithful and obedient to Yahweh, they will suffer the due consequences of disobedience, whether it be an overtly willful act or an unthinking negligence in keeping the Covenant promise. The Deuteronomist worked out a formula for his theology of

France, History Of, The Frondes

2005-02-16T00:24:00.000-08:00

The years of Louis XIV's minority were dominated by the Frondes, a series of civil disturbances that lasted from 1648 to 1653. The government's financial difficulties were once more at the root of the trouble. In the first few years of the regency a variety of expedients were tried to raise additional revenue for the war with Spain. There was about these expedients an air of arbitrariness

Calculus Of Variations

2005-02-15T06:02:00.000-08:00

The isoperimetric problem—that of finding,

China, Nan (Southern) Sung (11271279)

2005-02-15T00:17:00.000-08:00

The Juchen could not extend their conquest beyond the Yangtze River. The Huai River valley, with its winding streams and crisscrossed marshlands, made cavalry operations difficult. Though the invaders penetrated this region and raided several areas below the Yangtze, they found the weather there too warm and humid for them. Moreover, the farther they went, the stronger

Ibn Tibbon, Moses Ben Samuel

2005-02-14T18:34:00.000-08:00

Jewish physician like his father, Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon, and his paternal grandfather, Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon, and an important translator of Arabic-language works into Hebrew. His translations served to disseminate Greek and Arab culture throughout Europe. Besides original works, which included commentaries with an allegorical bias on

Nataraja

2005-02-14T11:27:00.000-08:00

In the most common type of images, which includes the magnificent Cola bronzes of the 10th–11th century, Siva is shown with four arms and flying locks dancing on the figure of a dwarf, the Apasmarapurusa (a symbol of man's ignorance; puru

La Follette, Robert M(arion)

2005-02-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

Interracial American organization created to work for the abolition of segregation and discrimination in housing, education, employment, voting, and transportation; to oppose racism; and to ensure African Americans their constitutional rights. The NAACP was created in 1909 by an interracial group consisting of W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, Mary White

Aureus

2005-02-13T08:54:00.000-08:00

Basic gold monetary unit of ancient Rome and the Roman world. It was first named nummus aureus (“gold money”), or denarius aureus, and was equal to 25 silver denarii; a denarius equaled 10 bronze asses. (In 89 BC, the sestertius, equal to one-quarter of a denarius, replaced the bronze ass as a unit of account.) In Constantine's reform of AD 312, the aureus was replaced by the solidus as the basic monetary

Argentina, The Pampas

2005-02-12T11:23:00.000-08:00

The principal Pampas vegetation is monte forest in the Dry Pampa and grassland in the Humid Pampa. The boundary between the Dry and Humid Pampas lies approximately along longitude 64° W. Knee-high grasses are found in the most humid areas, whereas to the north, west, and south, where precipitation decreases, tougher grasses give way to the monte of the Dry Pampa. Planted

Mindon

2005-02-11T17:40:00.000-08:00

Mindon was a brother of Pagan (reigned 1846–53), who had ruled during the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1852. As soon as he became king, Mindon sued for peace and began negotiations

Priestley, Joseph

2005-02-11T07:38:00.000-08:00

English clergyman, political theorist, and physical scientist whose work contributed to advances in liberal political and religious thought and in experimental chemistry. He is best remembered for his contribution to the chemistry of

Henrietta Maria

2005-02-10T21:34:00.000-08:00

Henrietta

Breadfruit

2005-02-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

Fruit of either of two closely related trees belonging to the family Moraceae. One of these, Artocarpus communis, also called A. incisa or A. altilis, provides a staple food of the South Pacific. The tree grows 12 to 18 metres (40 to 60 feet) high and has large, oval, glossy green leaves, three- to nine-lobed toward the apex. Male and female flowers are borne in separate

Xerophyte

2005-02-10T07:11:00.000-08:00

Any plant adapted to life in a dry or physiologically dry habitat (salt marsh, saline soil, or acid bog) by means of mechanisms to prevent water loss or to store available water. Succulents (plants that store water) such as cacti and agaves have thick, fleshy stems or leaves. Other xerophytic adaptations include waxy leaf coatings, the ability to

Earth, Wind And Fire

2005-02-09T17:04:00.000-08:00

American pop, soul, and jazz-fusion band that became one of the best-selling and most influential black groups of the 1970s. The principal members were Maurice White (b. December 19, 1941, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.), Philip Bailey (b. May 8, 1951, Denver, Colorado), Verdine White (b. July 25, 1951, Chicago), Fred White (b. January 13, 1956, Chicago), Al McKay (b. February 2, 1948, New Orleans, Louisiana), Johnny Graham (b. August 3, 1951, Kentucky), Ralph

Booth, Catherine

2005-02-09T13:22:00.000-08:00

Her father was a carriage builder and sometime Methodist lay preacher, her mother a deeply religious woman of Puritan type. Catherine, in adolescence an invalid, was educated principally at home,

Durgapur

2005-02-08T23:50:00.000-08:00

City, southern West Bengal state, northeastern India, just north of the Damodar River. Connected by road and rail with Calcutta (Kolkata), Burdwan, and Asansol, Durgapur is one of India's chief steel-producing centres. The main steel plant went into operation in 1962, and the population grew dramatically. Other major industries include a coal washery, an alloy and special steel

Haakon Ii Sigurdsson

2005-02-07T16:09:00.000-08:00

On the death of his uncle King Eystein II in 1157, the 10-year-old Haakon received the support of Eystein's partisans against the rival king, Inge I, whom they finally defeated and killed in 1161. In 1162, however, the supporters of another pretender, Magnus Erlingsson, defeated the forces of the boy-king Haakon and killed him.

Sudra

2005-02-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

Also spelled Shudra, Sanskrit Sudra, the fourth and lowest of the traditional varnas, or social classes, of Hindu India, traditionally artisans and labourers. The term does not appear in the earliest Vedic literature. In its first application it probably included all conquered peoples of the Indus civilization as they were assimilated as menials to the three-class society of the Brahmans (priests

Ibn Khallikan

2005-02-07T11:11:00.000-08:00

Ibn Khallikan was an assistant to the chief judge of Egypt until 1261, when he became qadi al-qudat (chief judge) of Damascus. He adhered to the Shafi'i branch of Muslim law, and for the first years had deputy judges of the other three main

Bonaparte, Jérôme

2005-02-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

A member of the consular guard

Dubnow, Simon Markovich

2005-02-05T16:49:00.000-08:00

Dubnow early ceased to practice Jewish rituals. He later came to believe that his vocation as a historian of Judaism was as true to the faith of his ancestors as were the Talmudic

Oberhausen

2005-02-05T04:27:00.000-08:00

City, North Rhine-Westphalia Land (state), western Germany. It is situated on the Rhine-Herne-Kanal, within the densely developed Ruhr industrial belt, and it adjoins Essen (east), Mülheim (south), and Duisberg (southwest). Oberhausen is an important rail junction, and the city also has good autobahn connections with The Netherlands. It is the centre of a network of lines radiating

Goetz, Walter

2005-02-04T19:30:00.000-08:00

German-born British illustrator and cartoonist whose amusing perspectives on the English and on Anglo-French relations delighted the public in the Daily Express cartoon strips "Colonel Up and Mr. Down" and "Dab and Flounder," 1934-54, and in Pierre Danino's "Major Thompson" books, 1954-57 (b. Nov. 24, 1911--d. Sept. 13, 1995).

NaturalBranch

Chaillu Massif

Asparagus

Arabia, History Of, The gulf states

Futures

Chandos, Sir John

Annelid, Digestive system

Family

Iridium

Yakima River

Legal Profession, Regulation by statutes and bar associations

Solfeggio

Arts, Central Asian, Ghaznavids and Ghurids

Jhering, Rudolf Von

Trajan's Bridge

Christian Ix

Akosombo Dam

Resnais, Alain

Hay

Latin-american Literature, Realism and naturalism

Gheorghiu-dej, Gheorghe

Havana, The city site

Abaca

Le Poulain, Jean

Nervous System Disease, Demyelinating disease

Koror

Amboseli National Park

Felsic Rock

Orthodox Jewish Congregations Of America, Union Of

Hadi, Al-

Amphibole

Wackenroder, Wilhelm Heinrich

Dyckia

Schism

I-pin

Augustus

Round, Henry Joseph

Pacific Mountain System, Resource exploitation

Skate

Ansett Transport Industries Limited

Topeka

Aethelred I

Giurgiu

Baha' Al-din

Wolverine

Alerce

Han-yang

Nat

Edward V

Elhuyar (y De Suvisa), Fausto (d')

Leaf Beetle

Scandinavian Literature, Major poets

Deborah

Mobutu Sese Seko

Mubi

Sabah

Chandler, Norman

Caucasian Languages, Languages of the group

Raín, Alois

Ila

Gabon, Health and welfare

Race, General histories

Augustus, Caesar

Arts, Central Asian, Bactria

Xiaozhuan

Animal Learning

Blackfish

Australia, Flag Of

T'ien-chi

Amstetten

Topaz

Excretion, The contractile vacuoles of protozoans

Tyrone

Alicante

Palatka

Pieris

La Follette, Robert M(arion)

Biblical Literature, The Deuteronomic theology of history

France, History Of, The Frondes

Calculus Of Variations

Raín, Alois

Biblical Literature, The Deuteronomic theology of history

China, Nan (Southern) Sung (11271279)